DPP and Digital Catapult launch AI in Media Challenge

The DPP has launched the AI in Media Challenge, an exclusive new initiative to enable the next generation of media AI solutions, created in partnership with Digital Catapult, and enabled by DPP members Microsoft and Cognizant.

"We're excited to be working with our partners Digital Catapult, Microsoft, and Cognizant, on this new initiative to showcase the practical ways that AI and ML can improve media workflows" said Rowan de Pomerai, DPP Head of Delivery and Growth. "The AI in Media Challenge will foster collaboration between content providers and solutions providers, to deliver solutions that really meet the needs of DPP members."

Research by the DPP has identified that Artificial Intelligence is, in many cases, being developed in silos. It is sometimes a challenge for technology solution providers to develop highly accurate models, due to the lack of accessible high quality training data. Meanwhile content providers often lack the specialist skills to develop AI and Machine Learning solutions.

This has resulted in AI/ML solutions being deployed for mostly generalist use cases, leaving more specialist problems still to be solved, including identification of unusual objects, understanding a wide range of accents and languages, and interpreting the high volume of data generated by these generic models.

In partnering with Digital Catapult, on the AI in Media Challenge the DPP aims to address real life business requirements by running an Open Call to bring together innovative solution providers with content providers that have practical problems to solve.

Jeremy Silver, CEO, Digital Catapult said: "We’re excited to partner with the DPP and to work with some of the biggest global media brands on this project, helping to boost the opportunities for the UK’s vibrant technology community to explore and implement advanced digital technology solutions for the creative industries in imaginative and highly practical ways.”

The Open Call invites solution providers to respond to the challenge of showcasing and developing solutions that address the business requirements of some of the world's leading content providers.

The DPP and Digital Catapult are seeking startups, scaleups and other innovative technology companies to respond to the Open Call via the Digital Catapult website.

Successful solution providers responding to the Open Call will get the opportunity to pitch their solutions to content providers, and will benefit from support and expert guidance from Digital Catapult, DPP, Microsoft, and Cognizant.

Following this, solution providers and content companies will be encouraged to work together to further develop their solutions, and the most successful will have the opportunity to showcase their achievements at a DPP event later in the year.